Table 2.

Characteristics of included studies related to “infertility consequences”

Author/s Region, Country	Methods of data collection Participants and Recruitment	Age (years)
a) Qualitative descriptive part of a mixed methods study
1.Dhont et al. 2011 [30] Kigali, Rwanda	Focus group discussions (n = 5) with couples (F: n = 21 / M: n = 20) with infertility problems being offered investigations at an Infertility clinic	F: Mean 28.5 / Range 27–33 M: Mean 34.5 / Range 30–40
2.Donkor et al. 2017 [31] Accra, Ghana	Interviews with women (n = 14) receiving treatment for infertility problems at a local hospital	Range 27–42
3.Dyer et al. 2002 [32] South Africa	Interviews with women (n = 30) receiving treatment for infertility problems at an infertility clinic	Mean 31.5 / Range 21–41
4.Hess et al. 2018 [33] Koutiala, Mali	Interviews with infertile women (n = 26) attending a hospital infertility clinic	Mean 17–44
5.Dierickx et al. 2018 [10] West Coast region, The Gambia	Interviews with infertile women (n = 33) from the local community	>  18
6.Hollos and Larsen 2008 [34] Moshi, Tanzania	Interviews with infertile (n = 25) and fertile women (n = 25) from the local community	Range 20–44
b) Qualitative descriptive studies
7. Fledderjohann 2012 [35] Accra, Ghana	Interviews with women (n = 107) seeking treatment in gynaecological and obstetric clinics	Mean 33 Range 21–48
8. Mabasa 2005 [36] South Africa	Interviews with infertile couples (n = 10) and infertile women (n = 9) selected through researchers’ networks and snowball sampling	Mean 36.9 Range 25–48
9. Runganga et al. 2001 [37] Harare, Zimbabwe	Focus group discussions(n = 9) and interviews with women (n = 8) and men (n = 2) attending a fertility clinic for reproductive problems	Mean 30 Range 21–40
10. Tabong and Adongo 2013a/b [38, 39] Upper West Region, Ghana	Focus groups (n = ns) and interviews with childless couples (n = 15) selected by CH volunteers and snowball sampling and gynaecologists (n = 2); Islamic scholar (n = 1); Christian leader (n = 1); traditional medical practitioners (n = 2); manager of NHIS (n = 1); manager PIC (n = 1)	F: Range 28–52 M: Range 35–63
11. Naab and Kwashie 2018 [40] Ghana	Interviews with married men (n = 12) receiving treatment for infertility at a local hospital	> 25 years Range 29–41
c) Qualitative phenomenological studies
12. Kamau 2012 [41] Nairobi Province, Kenya	Interviews with infertile women (n = 10) attending local churches	Mean 40.4 Range 29–54
d) Anthropological studies
13. Gerrits 1997 [42] Montepuez, Mozambique	Interviews with infertile (n = 34) and fertile women (n = 10) from the local community and traditional healers (n = 3); midwives (n = 3); physicians (n = 2); nurses (n = 3)	Range 19–50
14. Feldman-Savelsberg 1994 [43] Bangangte, Cameroonian Grassfields	Narrative with infertile women (no further details provided)	not reported
e) Ethnographic studies
15. Upton and Dolan 2011 [44] Northern Botswana	Ethnographic narratives with men (n = 20) and women (n = 31) who were married, unmarried, fertile and those identifying to have struggled with fertility problems selected from local community	not reported
16. Parrott 2014 [45] Karonga District, Malawi	Life history interviews with men who had experienced childless marriages (n = 55) selected from a wider community survey	not reported

Key: CH Community health; F Females; M Males. NHIS National Health Insurance Scheme; PIC Private Insurance company. Reference citation follows author name in square brackets